Space

And the winners are… The SpaceNews Awards are held each year to recognize achievements in space commerce, exploration and stewardship. Since 2017, the SpaceNews editorial staff has selected 40 individuals and organizations embodying the hard work and innovation propelling the space industry to unparalleled levels of activity. 2021 has seen a record number of private astronauts

Humans are full of microbes. Humans also went to the Moon. Does that mean we left colonies over there? ———- Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters — we couldn’t make SciShow without them! Shout out to Justin Ove, Justin Lentz, David Campos, Philippe von Bergen, Chris Peters, Lilly Grainger, Happy Birthday!!, and Fatima

LAS VEGAS — While mergers involving special purpose acquisition corporations (SPACs) dominated the space industry for much of the year, one expert sees warning signs of waning interest in this way of taking companies public. Speaking at the ASCEND conference by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics here Nov. 16, Phil Ingle, a managing

NASA’s Bill Nelson and Space Force chief Gen. Raymond: ‘We believe strong engagement from across government, industry and academia is essential to meet this moment’ WASHINGTON — U.S. national security space organizations released a report Nov. 18 proposing ways to boost the nation’s space economy and technology base. The 92-page “State of the Space Industrial

CEO Dan Hart: ‘We’ve had quite a extensive dialogue at all levels of the executive branch and with the Space Force, and the intelligence community’ WASHINGTON — Virgin Orbit projects that more than 40% of the company’s business by 2026 will be in national security and defense. Virgin Orbit launches small satellites from rockets that

Astronomers have gotten pretty good at calculating how fast the universe is expanding, but new measurements don’t line up with the predictions of well-tested laws of physics. Now scientists have a new question to ponder: Why are these numbers so different? SciShow has a spinoff podcast! It’s called SciShow Tangents. Check it out at http://www.scishowtangents.org

LAS VEGAS — SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said he expects this first orbital flight of his company’s Starship vehicle to take place as soon as January, pending regulatory approvals. Musk, speaking at a joint meeting of the National Academies’ Space Studies Board and Board on Physics and Astronomy Nov. 17, said the company was

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s foreign ministry expressed concern over the “numerous pieces of debris” created in low Earth orbit when Russia destroyed a Soviet-era satellite with a missile strike earlier this week but stopped short of criticizing Russia. In a Nov. 17 text message sent to reporters, the ministry said “we are concerned

SAN FRANCISCO – Fleet Space Technologies raised $26.4 million in a Series B investment round that puts a value of $126 million on the Australian startup establishing an internet-of-things satellite constellation. The Series B funding round was led by existing Fleet Space investors Artesian Venture Partners, Blackbird Ventures, Grok and Horizons Ventures. New investors including

Are there ways to terraform Mars — that is, make it habitable for humans? Some scientists think so. They have big plans, but they also face some big obstacles. ———- Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids? Check out

LAS VEGAS — An industry team led by Northrop Grumman has unveiled the design of a lunar rover it proposes to develop for NASA’s Artemis program. Northrop Grumman announced Nov. 16 that it is working with four other companies, ranging from a commercial lunar lander developer to a manufacturer of automobile tires, to propose a

BREMEN, Germany — German launch services provider Exolaunch has signed a multi-launch agreement for more capacity on SpaceX Transporter rideshare missions over the next two years. The new deal greatly boosts capacity available to Exolaunch and follows big demand for its services demonstrated by previous and upcoming missions. Exolaunch has already signed agreements for four

SAN FRANCISCO – The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is eager to tap into unclassified commercial data services as part of its ongoing effort to track activity around world. Rather than fusing commercial data with government information or analysis to create new classified data products and services, though, the NGA is interested in keeping datasets unclassified. “So

On a cosmic scale, Mercury isn’t very far away, but it’s incredibly hard to get there. Getting into orbit around it takes years of flybys in the solar system, but we’re going to do it again! Hosted by: Reid Reimers SciShow has a spinoff podcast! It’s called SciShow Tangents. Check it out at https://www.scishowtangents.org ———-

Some years at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), one person emerges as the star of the weeklong conference. Five years ago, it was Elon Musk, whose appearance in Guadalajara, Mexico, to talk about SpaceX’s next-generation launch system turned the conference into a rock concert — people lining up hours in advance and rushing in as

Since it burst onto the scene with Bitcoin, blockchain has been linked with other cryptocurrencies, digital artwork and extraordinary energy consumption. The heart of blockchain, though, is a distributed ledger with important applications for the space sector. Space companies, academic researchers and government agencies are exploring how distributed ledgers can make supply chains more efficient,

HELSINKI — Chinese boots on the moon will be “entirely possible” by 2030 according to senior Chinese lunar program designer and engineer Ye Peijian. “I personally think that, as long as technological research for crewed moon landings continues, as long as the country is determined, a Chinese crewed moon landing is entirely possible by 2030,”

There are a lot of incredible things in space, but neutron stars are some of the most mind-blowing. From liquid plasma oceans on the surface to a possible neutron superfluid in the core — as you go deeper into a neutron star, the physics gets truly wild. SciShow has a spinoff podcast! It’s called SciShow

WASHINGTON — While space companies are feeling the impacts of supply chain disruptions, traditional space companies are experiencing different effects than newer ones. Panelists during a session of the ASCEND conference by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Nov. 10 said that the shocks to the global supply chain caused by the pandemic highlighted

TAMPA, Fla. — SpaceX successfully deployed another 53 Starlink satellites Nov. 13 in its first dedicated launch for the broadband constellation in two months. A Falcon 9 carrying its latest batch of Starlink satellites lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 7:19 a.m. Eastern, a day after being scrubbed because of poor weather. All

Yesterday, on November 12, 2021, during the fourth edition of the Paris Peace Forum, actors from all over the world concerned with the rapidly deteriorating state of Earth’s orbital environment have launched the Net Zero Space initiative, calling for ensuring sustainable use of outer space by 2030 by taking urgent steps to reduce the number

Jupiter has a bunch of asteroids that are trapped in two specific points in its orbit! ———- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow ———- Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters — we couldn’t make SciShow without them! Shout out to Patrick Merrithew, Will and Sonja Marple, Thomas J., Kevin Bealer,

WASHINGTON — The future of NASA’s SOFIA airborne observatory remains in limbo after the astrophysics decadal survey gave the program, proposed for termination by NASA, a vote of no-confidence. The astrophysics decadal survey final report, released Nov. 4, included sharp criticism of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a program that was identified as

TAMPA, Fla. — Ten companies and organizations from across the space industry have vowed to devise concrete measures for reducing the amount of in-orbit debris by 2030. French satellite fleet operator Eutelsat, launch service provider Arianespace and U.S.-based Earth imagery venture Planet are among signatories of the Net Zero Space charter, which was launched Nov.

WASHINGTON — German laser communications company Mynaric performed an initial public offering of shares on the Nasdaq exchange Nov. 12, raising up to $75.9 million to fund its growth. The company, which already trades on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in Germany, sold four million “American Depository Shares,” which represent one million ordinary shares of stock,

To support SciShow Space and learn more about Brilliant, go to https://brilliant.org/scishowspace/. A naked singularity is something that should be a black hole, but it’s neither black nor a hole. If they exist, they’ll rewrite physics as we know it. We want to learn more about you and your opinions! If you have time, please

WASHINGTON — A biomedical entrepreneur who flew on Blue Origin’s second crewed suborbital spaceflight died in a plane crash Nov. 11. Glen de Vries was one of two people on a Cessna 172 aircraft that crashed in New Jersey Nov. 11. New Jersey State Police confirmed Nov. 12 that both de Vries and Thomas Fischer,

BlackSky won a new contract award from NASA, a five-year deal to provide imagery in support of Earth observation research WASHINGTON — U.S. government contracts are boosting the financial performance of Earth observation company BlackSky, executives said Nov. 12 during the company’s first earnings call since going public. BlackSky released its third-quarter financial results, showing

SAN FRANCISCO – Morpheus Space is going far beyond its roots as a German university spinoff with a series of announcements the company is releasing ahead of the Space Tech Expo next week in Bremen, Germany. Morpheus, a German propulsion startup that opened an office in Los Angeles earlier this year, unveiled a suite of

There are lots of things that you’re allowed to do on earth that you absolutely can’t if you’re an astronaut. Some of them you wouldn’t expect. Hosted by: Hank Green ———- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow ———- Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters — we couldn’t make SciShow without

The plan to develop a reusable rocket came as a surprise because “reusability” was nowhere to be seen in the government’s budget request for 2022 — in which South Korea’s next-generation rocket was supposed to be an expendable rocket. SEOUL, South Korea — Starting next year, South Korea will develop a reusable rocket with a cluster

WASHINGTON — Astroscale signed an agreement with the government of New Zealand Nov. 10 to study advanced concepts for orbital debris removal. The Tokyo-based company signed a memorandum of understanding with New Zealand’s Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment (MBIE) in a virtual event. The agreement broadly covers cooperation on space safety and sustainability, with

SAN FRANCISCO – Spire Global CEO Peter Platzer expects commercial and government demand for space data and analytics to surge in the coming years, offering enormous growth potential for the firm, which began trading shares publicly in August. Spire currently provides space data, analytics and space services to 225 annual recurring revenue, or subscription, customers

Most of the universe is made up of dark matter, so could it form into stars and galaxies like regular matter? Get your glow-in-the-dark, dark matter star pin before March 31st at https://store.dftba.com/collections/scishow/products/scishow-pin-of-the-month-dark-matter-star-march SciShow has a spinoff podcast! It’s called SciShow Tangents. Check it out at http://www.scishowtangents.org ———- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on

VP Harris announced U.S. is committed to joining the Space Climate Observatory WASHINGTON — Following a meeting Nov. 10 with French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced both nations agreed to expand cooperation on space and cybersecurity issues. The U.S. and France will engage in a “comprehensive dialogue on space,” the White

After it delivers a prototype satellite to the Missile Defense Agency, Northrop Grumman plans to conduct an on-orbit test WASHINGTON — A satellite designed by Northrop Grumman to track hypersonic and ballistic missiles has passed a key review, allowing the company to continue to develop the $153 million spacecraft scheduled for delivery in 2023.   The

Scientists can see how dark matter is distributed based on how its gravity affects light, but when astronomers compared recent data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Telescope to current models, something didn’t add up. Does this mean our current assumptions about dark matter physics are wrong? Hosted by: Hank Green SciShow

An interagency group within the National Science and Technology Council is overseeing the national orbital debris R&D plan WASHINGTON — The Biden administration plans to update an existing research-and-development plan aimed at combatting orbital debris. Overseeing the orbital debris R&D plan is an interagency group within the National Science and Technology Council that deals with

WASHINGTON — NASA leadership has formally given up on the goal of returning humans to the moon by 2024, pushing back a landing by NASA astronauts on the lunar surface to at least 2025. In a Nov. 9 media teleconference, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the recently concluded legal challenge mounted by Blue Origin to

SEOUL, South Korea — Japan’s solid-fuel Epsilon 5 rocket successfully put nine small satellites into orbit Nov. 9, including an orbital debris removal technology demonstrator, in a rideshare launch that has been postponed twice since early October. Live footage showed the 26-meter rocket blasting off from the Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, at 7:55

Just a few days before he died, Stephen Hawking submitted one last research paper using string theory math to talk about the multiverse. Host: Hank Green For special, curated artifacts of this universe, check out https://scishowfinds.com/ ———- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow ———- Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters:

WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down late Nov. 8, returning four astronauts from the International Space Station after nearly 200 days in space. The Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico offshore from Pensacola, Florida, at 10:33 p.m. Eastern. The spacecraft reentry and splashdown went as planned. The

Ellen Stofan: ‘Space data is helping pave the way towards solutions, and that makes me optimistic’ WASHINGTON — Much of the critical data used to track climate change and its impact on Earth is collected by satellites in space. But all that data needs to be better analyzed in order to better cope with the

TAMPA, Fla. — Viasat has agreed to buy British satellite fleet operator Inmarsat in a $7.3 billion deal to expand its broadband network globally in multiple orbits and spectrum bands. Buying private equity-backed Inmarsat would transform Viasat into an operator of 19 satellites across Ka, L and S-band spectrum — with another 10 spacecraft set

Astronomers have theorized about an invisible star made up of theoretic particles in the past, but did we recently detect the gravitational waves of two of them colliding? Plus, extraterrestrial rocks from a decades-old mission keep yielding new discoveries! Hosted by: Hank Green SciShow has a spinoff podcast! It’s called SciShow Tangents. Check it out

WASHINGTON — NASA has delayed the undocking of a Crew Dragon spacecraft from the International Space Station by a day because of high winds at splashdown locations in the Gulf of Mexico, a move that won’t affect the launch of the next crew to the station. NASA announced early Nov. 7 that it was postponing

Comments on a draft request for proposals for Tranche 1 ground operations and integration are due Dec. 1. WASHINGTON — The Space Development Agency in early 2022 will seek bids for the ground segment portion of its low-Earth orbit constellation. SDA last week issued a draft request for proposals for Tranche 1 ground operations and

WASHINGTON — The four Crew-2 astronauts currently on the International Space Station will return to Earth ahead of the delayed launch of their replacements, NASA announced late Nov. 5. NASA said that the Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour will undock from the station at 1:05 p.m. Eastern Nov. 7. The spacecraft will splash down off the